Reel Character Series

 

Adele Jergens (Adele Louisa Jurgens 1917-2002) was an American B-movie supporting actress. Her celebrity status as "Miss World's Fairest" at the 1939 New York World's Fair gained her a great deal of recognition before landing a movie contract in 1944 with Columbia Pictures in mostly forgettable films. The 5' 9” brunette was soon better known as a blonde and typically cast as a tough-talking second female lead as a girlfriend of a gangster or burlesque dancer. She was cast in the Franchot Tone film, I Love Trouble (1948) followed by similar roles that became her mainstay throughout the Fifties such as Armored Car Robbery, 1950 (above) and The Miami Story, 1954. The latter revealing a plump-cheeked puffiness. She failed to become a major star but made an impression with a host of conniving female roles. She was married to film and television actor Glenn Langan from 1949 until his death in 1991. Perhaps tiring of typecast roles, Jergens retired from acting in 1956.